Syrian pianist’s family allegedly attacked for freedom song

Malek Jandali, a pianist, is in the crosshairs, along with his parents thousands of miles away, for writing a song of freedom. And it’s the Syrian government that is lashing out. Jandali, a Syrian born pianist, who now lives in the United States, wrote his freedom song in 2011, the start of the Syrian Civil War.

“My love for you is fire in my heart… when am I going to see you free?” Jandali said as he spoke about his song and added how he played it during a protest in front of the White House.

It was this exposure that allegedly sent Syrian leader Assad’s security forces into Jandali’s parents’ home in Syria, where the security forces allegedly beat both Jandali’s father and mother.

“He handcuffed my dad and he start beating my mom in her bedroom,” Jandali said, “Imagine a bunch of thugs coming to your home and start beating your mom.”

Jandali said he believes that Assad could not stop his music, so he then targeted his parents by raiding their home and assaulting them.

He said it was, “Simply because I was performing a song for humanity, for freedom.”

His parents left Syria soon after the alleged attack. Jandali returned to Syria in October 2012 to visit Syrian refugee camps. He said that it’s the faces of the children that haunt him and inspire his music.

“What fuels my music is the heartbeat of those children. What fuels my music is the hope in their eyes and what I long for is the unity for us to come together and save those children.”

He said that it’s the hope in the children’s eyes makes him feel hopeful inside, and hope is the message that he will keep sharing through his music.